The present invention relates generally to the field of seats. More particularly, it relates to folding vehicle seats for vehicle non-operator positions.
A wide variety of vehicle non-operator designs and devices (e.g., other than the driver's position) are known. The variety of such seats is increasing at a rapid pace due to the increasing popularity of non-traditional vehicles as compared to the standard two-row sedans, wagons and trucks. For example, vans, sport utility vehicles (SUV), cross-over utility vehicles (CUV), station wagons, pick-up trucks, and other vehicles include additional rows of seating, and many of them provide for the reconfiguration and/or removal of the second and/or third row of seats thereof to increase the cargo storage space for the vehicle.
In larger SUVs, vans and even minivans, there is sufficient room within the entire vehicle that there is less of a need to provide a second and/or third row vehicle seat that can be stowed in a relatively ultra compact package. However, to have such an option would be advantageous. Notwithstanding, it has been common to provide conventional vehicle seats in such larger vehicles and to provide some level of adjustment or folding to give the vehicle user additional storage options and area. Further it is known to make such seats so they may be removed from the vehicle. In this regard, there has been an effort to make such seats lighter. Despite these efforts there remains a significant need to continue to make such seats lighter and more compact.
In relatively smaller SUVs, minivans, CUVs and station wagons, there is less room to provide a relatively bulky and massive vehicle seat since the vehicle user typically desires as much cargo space as possible but still needs the ability to provide occupant seating for up to seven or eight occupants. In many cases, the seats which are used for such purposes (and in particular for third row applications) are used by vehicle passengers on only limited occasions, and the result has been that such seats are not particularly comfortable. Such seats also tend to be relatively bulky and, if left in the vehicle, reduce the amount of cargo space which may be used for a wide variety of purposes. Ultimately, many of the seating systems known to the art can be removed at the option of the operator and stored in the garage or other location where the vehicle is kept. However, conventional seats tend to be too heavy and bulky for removal by even an average user let alone smaller operators or people who are elderly or otherwise do not have the sufficient strength to manipulate the heavy and bulky seat designs. While some devices have been developed to help in this regard such as by adding wheels to the seat, they have proved insufficient and there is a continued need to improve seats in this regard.
In addition to the above, as the increase for higher efficiency vehicles continues, reduced weight and size remain core objectives to achieving this goal. Accordingly, the amount of interior space allowed for vehicle seats continues to be reduced. This fact is further emphasized for seating in the cargo area of the vehicle such as with third row seats. Commonly, there is very little floor space available for folding and stowing these types of seats.
In view of the above, there is a current trend to develop thinner profile and lighter seats. However, these efforts have focused on optimizing current designs to simply be thinner and lighter resulting in decreased occupant comfort.
Numerous types of conventional folding seats are known for use in vehicle seats. For example, many of these devices involve traditional recliner mechanisms for reclining the vehicle seat back and which may also be used for folding the vehicle seat. Other types of mechanisms include latch mechanisms for folding the vehicle seat such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,268,086; 4,484,779; 4,822,100; 6,089,664; 6,152,533 and 6,328,381. While these mechanisms will provide a folding seat, they do not provide a sufficiently simple and compact folding mechanism.
While other conventional approaches are known to provide a folding seat that can be stowed in the vehicle floor or bottom, conventional seats have not been designed to provide less than approximately a 200 millimeter thickness. Despite the above efforts, there is a need to develop a vehicle seat that is foldable for storage or removal to a highly compact thickness and significantly less than a 200 millimeter thickness. In particular, the remains a continued need to provide even more storage area in a vehicle's cargo area while retaining as much functionality and convenience as possible. While some folding seat solutions help in this regard they have many drawbacks such as taking up substantial floor space because they do not fold in a compact manner, taking up substantial cargo space because they do not have a thin profile, are expensive and heavy due to complicated and bulky mechanisms.
Thus, there is a continued need to develop a vehicle seat that can be made foldable for storage and/or removal to less than a 150 millimeter thickness and optimally to approximately a 100 millimeter thickness package while still providing a vehicle seat occupant relative comfort and support.
Conventional folding seats have also been poorly designed since they require a large amount of floor space to be folded and stowed. Thus, there remains a need to provide a vehicle seat capable of providing a fold in spot, compact footprint package. There also remains a continued need to develop a vehicle seat that will, in a folded position, provide a minimized and light-weight cartridge and that will, in a deployed position, provide the support and comfort of a conventional non-stow, type vehicle seat. Some conventional systems have attempted to develop solutions to vehicle seating which undesirably require changes to the vehicle's body in white resulting in significant additional cost and a highly undesirable lack of flexibility. Some conventional folding vehicle seat systems have provided foldable seats but once in the folded position have the highly undesirable drawback of not having a vehicle seat design capable of providing a flat load floor.
Thus, there remains a continued need to provide a vehicle seat capable of overcoming the noted deficiencies with the conventional vehicle seats. In particular, there is a continued need for a vehicle seat having a very compact footprint in both the design and stow positions and which may be very easily and intuitively operated and removably provided in a passenger or cargo area of a vehicle.